125 years ago

We are lucky here in the Flathead for many blessings, such as huckleberries. There are other things too which we all talk about, good scenery, rich soil, and lots of fresh water. Any of us could make a very long list; but one special thing I'm very thankful for are the unbelievable historical records, written, gathered, and preserved by the first people who came here. Ran across another one today, which I believe was written by a Mrs. Tetrault whose family, came to the Flathead from a French settlement area in Canada via Frenchtown, west of Missoula.

I've been unable to find a reference yet on what year the Tetraults homesteaded at LaSalle, four miles southwest of Columbia Falls, but do know they had built a house and were well settled in by 1884. Eva Tetrault who lives in Kalispell told me there were two families of Tetraults who came here around 1880. One family was here grandfather Joseph's and the other his brother Francis. With no knowledge of her first name, I'm reprinting an account I believe was written down by an elderly Tetrault lady in the early 1950s:

Pioneer reminiscence

Where the town of Columbia Falls now stands was a huge natural meadow. The deer, elk and range cattle (she called them wild cattle) always ate here. The bunch grass grew three or four feet tall. Winter snows pushed it down and the wild animals pawed down for it.

Although Father DeSmet remarked that the Indians were never the same after the white men came, the Martins found them to be good friends. Nothing was ever taken from them by the Indians and at many times the Indians were helpful. Mrs. Martin can remember looking up from her work and seeing several Indians at the windows. This was startling for her, but if she pretended to be very startled or even frightened, they were very amused. At one time about three hundred Stony Indians had been driven from Canada by drought. They camped on the Columbia Falls meadow where they could get plenty of game. They stayed for some time and the settlers were interested in them. One woman was 112 years old. They were very clean at their campsite.

The settlers exchanged green hides with the Indians for dressed skins. Mrs. Martin made moccasins to wear over their shoes so that the shoes would last longer. They repaired their own shoes, also.

A widow named Mrs. Noyle had a cabin where the Henry Good home now is. She saw the need for a school and started one in her home. She charged one dollar a month per pupil. She had eight big boys who came to school. The boys came many miles on horseback. They learned to read, write, and do sums so the school was proclaimed a success.

The nearest doctor was at Missoula so the settlers had to find their own remedies. Mrs. Martin's drug store was out by the wood shed. They had a pitch tree there that was used for starting fires and for medicinal purposes. She found that if she took fresh pitch from the tree, without touching her hands to the part to be applied to the injury, the sore healed perfectly with a very little scar left.

Every fall the family made a trip to Whitefish Lake and Creek to get enough fish to salt for the winter. Whitefish Lake and Whitefish Creek were called by these names when she first came. She remembers that the salt fish were a welcome change in the winter and they always caught several hundred. Some of the settlers did not salt fish down and she remembers giving the Willetts of the Lower Valley a barrel of them.

Mrs. Martin wove or braided straw hats for herself and her children. These hats became quite famous and she was soon making them for others.

It was not always easy to keep the family in clothing and everything possible was made over. The bachelors gave her their old clothes and she said her children were always well dressed. Some articles of clothing were more difficult to replace than others, but French ingenuity and neatness would find a way. Ladies did not do without corsets. Our pioneer Lady settled this by making her own when her "store boughten" one wore out. She used the stays over again and used the old corset as a pattern. The new one was made of the best pieces from overalls. Little buttonholes were made for lacings.

A cow was one of the first requirements for these new homes. One range cow that the Martins bought gave extremely good milk, but in the two weeks they kept her tied up she never tamed and finally that had to turn her loose. This was one time that our pioneer Lady cried.

A priest came from St. Ignatius in September. He baptized their first child who was then three months old. After that, Father Trembly came from Frenchtown every year in Holy Week. He baptized some of the other children.

Some of the early settlers that Mrs. Martin recalls were the Willetts of the Lower Valley who visited several times during the summers. She said that it was always nice to have them come. Jean and Ed Despin lived close by, as did Joe Ganyor, Charlie Backman of the State Mill (Half Moon) came two years after the Martins arrived. Pete and Louis Olson were bachelors. She remembers the Chris Degnen family and the Pat and John Walsh families. Frank and Joe Tetrault are still living in the Flathead. Their mother is still living. She will be ninety-four in April, but she has not been very well lately. Her mind

wanders and she thinks that she is back in Canada.

*N.B. Mrs. Tetrault has passed away since this paper was written.